


Bits of Starlight

by The13thBlackCat



Series: One Sky, One Destiny [8]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, Drabble Collection, F/M, Ficlet Collection, Fluff, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Mid-Canon, Multi, Polyamory, Relationship Discussions, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-01-15 21:15:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18507229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The13thBlackCat/pseuds/The13thBlackCat
Summary: Little things that don't warrant being uploaded on their own. Mostly cute stuff, conversations, or character study. Chapters may or may not be in chronological order.





	1. Chapter 1

   Kairi made her way down the shoreline, shoes in hand. It was close to sunset, and the sky was already starting to turn pink as the sun drifted downwards. The water sparkled prettily, the waves rolling into shore, but before she could appreciate it, a splash caught her attention. She turned her eyes towards the source, to find Sora a little ways further down the beach, pulling back to throw another seashell into the ocean.

   She paused for a moment to watch him, brushing her hair out of her face as the breeze blew in. She hadn't really had much time to appreciate seeing her boys again after so long, and for a moment she was struck by how good he looked.

   Maybe it was something about seeing Sora in the warm light of home again--not in the strange light of some foreign world--but he looked...well, amazing. Her face heated shyly as she watched Sora duck down to scoop a shell out of the sand, then pull back, muscles flexing in the dying light before he sent it flying. A moment later, there was a distant splash somewhere out in the ocean.

   He'd grown. They all had, but it was incredibly obvious now that she had a chance to just look at him. Sora had just been an adorable, lanky boy when he'd been pulled away from home, barely a teenager--it had only been a year, but he'd grown and matured a lot in that year. Kairi could tell that just from looking at him, even at a distance. And realizing it made her cheeks go hot and her chest tighten in a way that wasn't entirely unpleasant. She took a breath, shaking her head as she started walking towards him again, trying to clear her thoughts.

   Sora must have heard her approaching, because he paused and looked up. He beamed when he realized it was her, raising a hand in a wave. "Hey, Kai!" He turned towards her, stuffing his hands into his pockets, and continued, "Have you seen Riku yet? I went to visit, but he was asleep." His voice fell a little at the last bit, his eyes dropping to the beach, but it only lasted a moment; he was worried about Riku--they both were--but he also knew that meant he was recovering. It had only been yesterday that they'd come home, after all.

   Kairi let go of her hair to wave to him, then shielded her eyes against the sun as she approached.

   "Hi," she answered, once she was close enough that she didn't need to shout. "I went to see if he was awake for a moment, but he wasn't. Grams said he's been okay though. I mean, no emergencies, or anything, at least." Kairi just had to remind herself that he was tough, and that he'd be back to normal soon.

   He had to.

   Sora nodded, like he'd expected that answer. "That's good." He let out a breath, looking up at the sky, and after a second, his brows pulled together in a frown.

   "...it was aimed at me," he said after a moment, his voice soft. Kairi blinked, frowning in confusion as she came to a stop by him; Sora turned towards the ocean with a sigh, then flopped unceremoniously down onto the sand.

   "Xemnas' attack," he clarified. "Riku pushed me out of the way, and..." He trailed off, frowning at the ocean. Kairi crouched down next to him, not answering for a moment. She'd seen the injury Riku had come home with--a burn across his side that he'd barely been able to walk with--and she could only imagine how it must be for Sora--to know that blow had been meant for him, only for Riku to take it instead to protect him. She wasn't really surprised: Riku was like that. He always had been protective of the two of them...maybe something to do with him being the oldest, so he considered himself responsible for the safety of his younger friends. She didn't know the psychology of it, she just knew that was Riku. Not that she or Sora would hesitate to protect their friends, but Riku would be the first to take a blow meant for one of them.

   "Riku's tough," she said finally, her voice soft, "and he's home now. He'll be alright." She could have told Sora not to blame himself, that it wasn't his fault Riku was hurt, but she knew it was pointless--in his shoes, she would have felt the same way. She was certain Riku would try to tell him that, later, and maybe it would mean more, coming from him.

   "Yeah. I know." He sighed again, closing his eyes for a moment. "Just...gotta keep reminding myself of that. It's hard when he's like this, you know?" A small crab scuttled past, and Sora nudged it towards the ocean gently with his foot; it raised its pincers in protest, but turned to take the path he'd pushed it towards.

   Kairi just nodded in answer, settling back into the sand next to Sora and watching the crab. Riku had been gone for so long--they both had--and now, seeing him like this--home, but hurt--was...scary. They were home, and she shouldn't have to worry about them anymore, but she still did...about Riku, anyway. Sora, at least, was fine. Oh, he'd had his own injuries too--and he still did, healing cuts and scrapes and bruises, the worst of them bandaged--but they were minor in comparison...and, frankly, she was kind of used to seeing Sora with minor injuries, anyway. It was easier not to fuss over him, especially when he was right next to her.

   "I'm sorry it took so long," Sora spoke up, after a few seconds of silence, "for me to come home." Kairi glanced at him and he continued, quiet, "But...you know. I had to find him. And he...wasn't making it easy." Sora cast her a sidelong glance, and Kairi laughed softly.

   "It's okay," she answered, "I know what he's like sometimes." She chuckled softly, dropping her shoes in the sand beside herself before she pushed herself forward to wrap her arms around her legs. "Just so long as you got back safe." She looked up at Sora with a bright smile, hoping it would ease his worries a little. Sora was safe--all they were waiting on was Riku now. And with him being home, she could deal with waiting a little bit more. It wasn't such a big thing, really.

   "I wish I could have been there," she continued after a few moments, her voice soft. "But I guess I would have just been in the way, huh?" The last bit came out with a little grin as she repeated what Sora had told her last time she'd wanted to come with him. She wasn't mad about it, though, and she hadn't been when he'd first admitted it...she knew Sora was right, after all, and her boys being safe was more important than her being with them. It stung a little to hear, of course, but mostly because she knew it was true.

   Sora laughed in answer, breaking into a grin that made her forget that, for a moment. "I dunno...you seem to be able to handle yourself alright. I may have underestimated you."

   Kairi blinked in surprise at that, but then broke into an answering grin. "What else is new?"

   "Hey!"

   The two of them broke into giggles, though they faded a moment later. In the silence that followed, Kairi considered what he'd said. Maybe Sora had underestimated her: maybe both of them had. After all, how often had he and Riku protected her growing up? It had been small things at first--bats, bugs, the threats of monsters that didn't exist in the caves and waters of the Destiny Islands--and larger, more real things as they got older, and she suspected it was a habit now, for both of them. For all of them. But she liked to--wanted to--think she didn't need their protection anymore. Maybe...?

   She was quiet for a few moments, watching the ocean. It was a comfortable silence, though. A little unusual for the two of them--Sora wasn't given to long silences, and neither was anyone else, around him--but comfortable.

   "...I hope he gets better soon," Kairi said finally, quiet. She almost regretted it the second it was out: they'd both been trying to stay optimistic, for themselves as well as each other, and that had come out more worried than she meant it to sound. Besides, saying it aloud like this...made it more real. Riku would probably be okay--he was safe now, and he just needed time to recover--but there was always that scary possibility that he might not be. She frowned, biting her tongue and wondering if she should have stayed silent.

   Sora didn't say anything for a moment, and she was trying to figure out what to say herself--but then he moved suddenly, pulling her against him in a hug. Kairi started a little in surprise, starting to say something, before Sora cut her off.

   "He will. He's Riku."

   She didn't answer at first, but a second later, she let out a quiet breath, butting her head into Sora's chest.

   "I...I know." And she did--she knew better. She knew him. Still, it helped to hear Sora say it. It helped to have him there, too: solid and real. He was really there, and he was staying. They both were.

   "I..." Kairi hesitated, then continued, her voice soft and tight, "I can't help but feel like...this is all my fault, somehow." Before Sora could protest--he would, she knew he would--she tried to clarify, "I knew something was wrong with him, before...before..." Before that night, and their home had fallen to darkness. Even now, she hesitated to say it out loud. "Maybe...I could have done something, and he'd be okay right now..." Not that she was sure what she could have done, but...Riku was her best friend. She'd known he wasn't okay--maybe Sora had too, but Kairi suspected she'd been more aware of it than him--and she should have done something. Anything.

   Sora's arms tightened around her, a moment before he pushed her back a little. Kairi started to look up just as his hands came up to cup around her face. His expression was unusually serious, for him.

   "Kairi, none of this is your fault. Ansem...or Xehanort's heartless, or...whatever, he did this. Not you." He brushed a lock of her hair out of her face and behind her ear, and Kairi was uncomfortably aware of the way her cheeks warmed. "Okay? It wasn't you." Finally, he let out a breath, letting go of her--she almost missed it--and continued, less seriously, "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. Riku's safe, and he's Riku again."

   Kairi swallowed, glancing away from him and pushing her hair behind her ear. "...right," she answered, quiet at first, but gaining strength. "Right. I know. I just...I worry, and the longer it takes him to get better, the more time I have to worry, so..." She took a breath, then let it out in a little laugh before turning to bump her head into his shoulder. "...I'm glad you're here, Sora. Otherwise, I'd probably worry myself sick."

   After all, she had already done that once, almost--when she'd been stuck here, and Riku had been gone (and someone else she couldn't quite remember, someone she now knew was Sora--but remembering that she'd forgotten him hurt, and she didn't want to think about it). She'd done her best to believe he would eventually come home, safe and sound, but it had felt like forever, alone on the Destiny Islands (not really alone, she had her family and her other friends, but they weren't them), and sometimes, all she'd been able to do was worry. She hated it.

   She let her head stay where it was against Sora's shoulder, adding softly, "...I worry about you two a lot, you know." Kairi pulled away finally, swallowing and smiling sheepishly as she pushed her hair out of her face. "I know...you'll probably say I shouldn't, but..." She paused, then murmured, "Someone's gotta take care of you two."

   Sora didn't answer, but after a second his hand came up to rest on her head gently. "Hey," he said finally, "how about we go see him together, tomorrow? He's gotta be awake by then, right? Anyway, I've had a chance to rest, so...maybe I can heal him, a bit?"

   Kairi looked up, then nodded. "...okay." She took a breath, then continued, "I mean, we've gotta keep checking on him anyway, right? So we know when he is awake? Might as well do it together." She tugged absently on her bracelets, continuing, more to herself than to Sora, "...maybe I should make something to bring, in case he is feeling better? Then again, I don't know if he'll be up to eating...but maybe for Grams? I mean, she's gotta put up with us coming by all the time, so I guess it's the least I could do..." Not that she'd said anything about it, even with as sudden of a change as this was. She wasn't an overly emotional woman, but Kairi knew her well enough to know she'd been lonely without her grandson around, and worried for him...and now he was suddenly back home, with his best friends coming by constantly to be sure he was alright. Kairi had still visited, even when it was just her, but she knew that was still a huge difference from Riku and Sora suddenly being back home.

   But then, maybe she preferred it this way--almost as if nothing had changed, like Riku and Sora hadn't vanished for almost two years, only to come back without so much as a warning (and, in Riku's case, with fresh injuries that had apparently laid him out, for the time being).

   "Right," Sora agreed. He frowned for a moment as he thought. "I dunno...I mean, you could wait until we know he's awake, but..."

   Kairi reviewed her mental list of recipes she knew Riku loved--she didn't want to make something that was best fresh, if he wasn't going to be awake or in the mood--then gave up with a huff. "...I'll figure out something," she said finally. She glanced up at Sora; the sun had finally set proper, leaving only the stars to highlight the blue in his eyes, instead of the deep green-blue they turned at sunset. She flushed guiltily, yanking her thoughts back to the present.

   "When do you wanna go see him?" If it's possible, she had to remind herself, before she could get too excited at the prospect. He might not be awake, or ready to see anybody even if he was--not even them.

   "Hm." Sora thought for a moment, apparently oblivious to her staring, and Kairi fought the urge to let out a breath of relief. "Noon? That's safe, right? Not too early, but not too late either, if he is up?" He frowned, then added, "Speaking of late...we should probably head back soon." He sighed. "Mom and Dad are doing their best not to lock me in the house...not that it would matter...but I can tell they want to, y'know? I don't really need to stress them out any more. I kind of...already did that, too much."

   Kairi laughed softly at that. "That's one way to put it." She got to her feet, dusting sand off herself. "Right, okay. Tomorrow at noon, then." She offered her hand to Sora, pulling him back up to his feet when he took it; Kairi flashed him a brief smile, then turned to head back down the beach the way she'd come. She paused for a moment to make sure Sora was following, and to let him catch up.

   Only then did she continue back towards the town, fighting the urge to take Sora's hand. She knew it was a silly thing to want to do, after all: just a way to remind herself he was still there, where he belonged.


	2. Chapter 2

   Sora yelped briefly in alarm when Riku knocked him back, and Kairi shielded herself reflexively, grinning from her perch on the paopu tree. Riku had always been the stronger of the two—even if Sora had more endurance and was fast enough to keep his guard down once he had Riku cornered—and nothing had changed in the time they’d been gone…except that now Riku was strong enough to actually send Sora flying if he landed a good blow. That one, luckily, hadn’t been. Or he’d pulled the hit at the last second, maybe, since there was only so much space for them on the island and, besides, Kairi was there.

   It would have ruined things a bit to knock Sora into her, after all.

   Kairi leaned forward to watch with a pleased grin as Sora recovered, taking a breath and launching himself at Riku. It was the first time since they’d gotten home that Riku had felt well enough to do this, and it was nice; _this_ was normal, her watching their play-fights from the sidelines and cheering for them both in equal measure.

   Well, it was _mostly_ normal. Kairi’s grin faded at the thought. Except before, she’d been _happy_ just to watch—not that she didn’t occasionally want to join, but at the time, it had been an idle once-in-a-while interest at best. She hadn’t really cared much as a little girl, and once she was older, she was very aware of how much better the boys would be and how much catching up she would have to do to compete with them. Now, though…now she knew what they’d all been through, the dangers they’d faced (and, she worried, would probably face again). She’d always been protective of her two best friends, but before, that hadn’t required fighting.

   Now…

   “Hey! Time out for a moment!” Sora straightened when Riku called the fight off, at least for now. The older boy was flexing his shoulders experimentally, wincing at the movement.

   “Your back still hurt?” Sora let out a short, huffy breath, then continued, concerned: “You should get that looked at, man…”

   “Nah, it’s fine,” Riku cut him off. “I mean, it will be. Just a bit sore is all.” He shook his head, then added, “Just…break for a bit? Don’t wanna overdo it, you know?”

   Sora’s Keyblade vanished in a flash of light and he shrugged amicably. “Ah, it’s getting hot anyway. Besides, we all know I was winning.”

   Riku scoffed at his back as Sora went to join Kairi on the paopu tree, climbing up onto the trunk and stretching out along it with a tired sigh.

   “You weren’t doing nearly as good as you thought.”

   “Yeah?” Sora pushed himself up a bit to look at Riku as he walked over to join them. “That why you quit early?”

   “I quit early because I’m _injured,_ you jackass.”

   Sora just laughed in response before flopping back down onto the tree, and Kairi couldn’t help but snigger a bit at Riku’s petulant tone. “Come on, guys, be nice.”

   Riku scoffed again, gesturing with his Keyblade before it vanished. “I _am_ being nice.”

   “Yeah, sure.” Her eyes drifted to the last motes of light fading from where his Keyblade had been a moment ago, and before she could catch herself, she murmured, thoughtful, “That must be useful.”

   “Hm?” The response came from both of them—Riku on one side as he sat down heavily on the ground to lean against the paopu tree, Sora on the other, sprawled out along it—and she gave an awkward little shrug in response.

   “You know. The way you can summon your Keyblades like that, and then they just disappear when you don’t need them anymore. It must be useful.” There was a trace of envy in her tone, she thought—not because of the Keyblades themselves (though that, she had to admit, was _very cool_ too), but because of the ability the two of them had to have a weapon at hand whenever they needed it, no matter what.

   “Beats having to carry it around everywhere, at least,” Riku answered, and Sora let out a short laugh.

   “No joke. And what if you forgot it somewhere?”

   “Only _you_ could forget a _Keyblade_ , Sora.”

   “Hey!”

   Kairi had stopped listening to their bickering, absorbed in her own thoughts as she looked down at her hands, resting in her lap. She’d had her own Keyblade, once, for just a brief time—Riku had given it to her when they’d been cornered by heartless. It wasn’t his—he had his own, after all—and obviously, it wasn’t Sora’s. Where had it come from? More importantly, where had it _gone?_ There had been so much going on at the time, and she’d been too concerned with Sora to care about much else—she just remembered it had been in her hand one moment, and the next…

   “Kairi?” Riku tapped her leg and she looked up with a little surprised noise, blinking down at him.

   “Oh! Sorry. What?”

   “I was just saying…you might be able to do it too, you know.”

   Kairi started at that, blinking rapidly at him. He seemed completely serious, and her eyes strayed to Sora to get his take on the suggestion; he’d perked up, watching the two of them with a bright, hopeful look in his eyes.

   “…you think?” she ventured after a second, her voice quiet. Riku gave a little nod.

   “Yeah. I mean, you did do it once. Trying won’t hurt, right?”

   “Well…I guess…” She looked down at her hand, flexing it. “But…I don’t even know how to…I mean…”

   “You just gotta think about it.” Kairi looked up at Sora again as he spoke up. He gave a short little nod, as if agreeing with himself. “Just…you know, _want_ it. It’s easier than it sounds, most of the time.”

   Riku snorted in amusement. “Yeah, basically. It’s not any different than it was then. Give it a shot, Kairi.”

   “Right. Okay. Here goes nothing, then.” Kairi held out a hand and took a breath. _Hopefully, not **actually** nothing._ She closed her eyes, swallowing, and tried to remember everything she’d been thinking when she had managed to summon it back to her that one time, when Riku had first given her the Keyblade. She _wanted_ as hard as she could, trying to believe it would work.

   There was a flash of light on the other side of her eyelids and a sudden weight in her hand and Riku sucked in a little breath at the same time she felt Sora jerk up beside her and gasp, “ _Woah!_ ” Her eyes snapped open and her breath caught in her throat at the sight that greeted her: the same Keyblade Riku had originally given her, shining in the sunlight and sitting as prettily in her hand as if it belonged there. Like it had been waiting.

   Kairi gasped in shock, her free hand snapping to her mouth and her eyes going wide. “Oh! _It worked!_ I can’t believe it actually—“ She cut off, turning her hand and testing the Keyblade’s weight—and now that she had something to compare it to, she couldn’t help but notice that it was lighter than Sora’s had been when she’d asked to see it, less unwieldy: like an extension of her own arm. It felt _right._

   “That was fast,” Riku remarked, before letting out a short laugh and lightly smacking his palm against her calf. “See, I told you that you could do it again.”

   “I could’ve done this _this whole time?_ ” Kairi slashed at the air, beaming. Her grip was a little unsure and too loose at first, but she corrected it quickly.

   “Well, probably not this _whole_ time,” Riku began, before she cut him off:

   “I mean, since we got back! Or since you…” She trailed off. _Could she have done this ever since he first gave it to her?_ Not that it would have really _helped_ , then—it had been too dangerous, and she was too inexperienced, armed or not—but _still!_ If she’d managed to recall it then, what was stopping her from summoning it _this entire time?_

   “Well, that…yeah, maybe,” Riku admitted, a bit sheepish, and Kairi took that to mean _probably._ She scowled down at him, resting the Keyblade’s shaft in her free hand. If it hadn’t been for a fact that the thing was actually _dangerous,_ she would have seriously considered giving him a good whack with it.

   “You didn’t _say_ something? _Either_ of you?”

   “Hey, _I’m_ not the one who _gave_ it to you,” Sora piped up. Before she could retort, he added, “But what’s it matter now? There’s something _way_ more important to think about.” He waited until they both looked at him, then broke into a grin, wide and bright. “If Kairi’s got a Keyblade, that means someone’s gotta teach her how to _use_ it, right? The basics, anyway.”

    “Right,” Riku answered with a short nod. “We can’t have you just swinging it around without knowing what you’re doing.” He broke into a grin. “Or you’ll end up like Sora.”

   “ _I was **winning!**_ ” Sora retorted, his voice sharp, and Kairi broke into a laugh. “Besides, I do _so_ know what I’m doing. Dad taught me a little, _you know_. And it's not like you know anything more than _I do—_ ”

   “Alright,” Kairi cut in before Riku could respond, “I mean, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, right?” She was beaming at the thought—she wouldn’t be as good as Riku or Sora, not for a bit, but now she had a _goal—_ and eventually, she’d be able to protect _them_ for a change.

   “Right!” Sora was grinning again, Riku’s little jab forgotten.

   “So, when do you want to start?” Kairi’s attention went back to Riku when he spoke up again. “Tomorrow? Or maybe we should wait until we have the weekend to focus on it…”

   “Well…” Kairi tapped her Keyblade on her palm thoughtfully, then said slowly, “…I mean, today’s not over yet, so…”

   “Sounds good to me!” Sora was off the paopu tree before she could even finish the thought, and Kairi broke into a bright, giddy grin, slipping off to follow him to the center of the island. Riku sighed, crossing his arms, then called:

   “Just remember to go easy on her, okay?”

   “Yeah, yeah,” Sora called back, “no problem. I’ll just pretend I’m fighting you.” Riku didn’t retort in words—instead he scooped something up off the ground, throwing it at Sora. Sora’s Keyblade came up in a flash of light and he broke out laughing as a small rock _pinged_ off it and went bouncing off into the sand. “Knock it off,” he scolded, “I’m trying to teach Kairi!”

   “Then shut up and teach her,” Riku retorted, and Kairi rolled her eyes at the sky, smiling.

   Sora huffed, but thankfully, he didn’t respond to Riku, instead turning his attention to Kairi. “Okay, Kairi,” he began, “if Riku’s done _interrupting…_ ”


	3. Chapter 3

   Kairi stared up at the ceiling, listening to the quiet of the room and thinking. Next to her, Sora shifted and made a mumbly little noise in his sleep, and she broke into a smile, tipping her head to the side to look at him.

   He’d turned over onto his side at some point, one arm thrown across her stomach and his face half-buried in his pillow. After a few moments, he began snoring softly, muffled by the pillow, and she let out a little giggle, reaching up to brush a lock of his hair out of his face. On his other side, she could just make out Riku: on his back, one arm underneath Sora and loosely resting around his waist, the other laying across his stomach, and his head tipped to the side to lean against Sora’s shoulders.

   It wasn’t an unusual sight. Sora was cuddly, and almost always wanted to be in the middle sheerly so there was nothing separating him from the two of them, even though they tried to switch it up regularly to make sure nobody had exclusive rights to the “good” spot (whatever that may be—it changed from night to night). Even on nights when Riku wasn’t feeling particularly cuddly himself, he still always made sure to have an arm around whoever was closest to him while he slept, making sure they knew he was there. Or maybe it was to remind him that _they_ were.

   She wondered how they had gone so _long_ without this, when it felt so right and natural for the three of them. They’d slept together more than a few times as children, piled together like puppies at sleepovers and play-dates. That had stopped when they’d gotten older—some combination of them realizing how awkward it _should_ be and gentle pressuring from their parents, probably—but now, it was one of her favorite parts of their relationship. Kairi never slept better than when her boys were near, cuddled up next to or around her.

   The corner of her mouth quirked into a little smile. _“Her boys.”_ She wasn’t sure when she’d started thinking of them like that—except that it had been before _this­_ —but she liked the sound of it, the possessiveness. They were hers, and she was theirs, and everything was how it should be.

   What would things had been like, if they’d never gotten this far?

   Kairi’s eyes flicked to the ceiling of their room ( _they hadn't requested a room together—it had simply come like that. they hadn't questioned the fact that it came with only one bed, either, but Kairi quietly wondered if it was **that** obvious to everyone_) in Yen Sid's tower, and she frowned to herself. It seemed terrifyingly possible, sometimes. As much as this— _them—_ felt _right_ , part of Kairi still knew it was definitely _weird._ There wasn’t even really a word for what they were, was there? Not one she knew, anyway. Everyone else, it seemed like, fell in love with one person, or not at all—except for them, because for each of them, their “other half” was actually two thirds.

   And because it was weird, it would have been so easy for them never to have realized it, if nothing had ever pushed them to. They'd been friends forever, after all. How easy would it have been to think that was all they were, without considering any other option?

   “Kairi?”

   Kairi blinked at her name, looking over to meet Sora’s eyes, half-open and sleepy. He yawned, then blinked at her a few times—though he didn’t look significantly more alert.

   “Why’re you up?”

   She broke into a little smile at the mumbled question, reaching up to brush her hand over his cheek. Sora’s eyes drifted closed and she moved a little to kiss his nose.

   “Just thinking," she answered, her voice soft. "Go back to sleep.” She pushed a bit of his hair out of his face, then moved her hand back to her stomach, looking back up at the ceiling.

   Sora didn’t answer, and she thought he’d listened to her, until finally he mumbled, “Thinkin’ ‘bout what?”

   “I told you to go to sleep,” she answered, nudging him gently and glancing over at him. Sora just made a muffled little noise, squirming a little closer to her—on his other side, Riku huffed out a short breath, but that was all. He’d never been a very deep sleeper, but he was good at ignoring it when they moved; after a moment of silence it seemed like he’d gone back to sleep, undisturbed.

   “Can’t,” Sora answered, and Kairi rolled her eyes at the ceiling. _I doubt that._ Sora could drop off to sleep in an instant even when he was more awake than he was now. “May as well tell me.”

   She sighed, shaking her head a little before turning over on her side so she could brush her fingers through his hair. “Nothing, just…” She paused, wondering if she should say anything—if it was worth it, as sleepy as Sora was—before giving a little mental shrug. “You think we would have ended up together, if things had stayed normal?”

   Sora cracked an eye open at that, blinking at her. “What d’ya mean?”

   “If nothing had ever happened that night,” she answered, “if we’d all been home, all this time, doing normal things…do you think the three of us would have ended up…” She gestured loosely to them. “…like this?”

   Sora’s eye drifted closed and he made a thoughtful noise. After a few moments, he mumbled, “I dunno. What do you think?”

   Kairi was quiet for a moment. Finally, she began, “…I think…I would have ended up with one of you.” She let out a short laugh, then added, “Always had a crush on you two. It just…seems like eventually…you know?” Once she’d been old enough to think about dating, Kairi suspected some part of her had realized she would end up with Riku or Sora (or, as it had actually turned out, both of them). She tipped her head to rest against his. “But would we have…I dunno. It just…sounds like such a weird thing. I don’t know if we would have thought of it, if…” She trailed off.

   If they hadn’t ever lost one another, would they have realized how much they meant? Or would she have ended up dating one of her boys— _Sora? He'd been more obvious about his feelings, but he had been so shy, and may have never said anything at all if Riku hadn’t pushed him to…so maybe it would have been Riku?_ —and never realized she was equally in love with the other, because such an idea would have seemed entirely out of the question?

   “You were the one who first brought it up.”

   The comment didn’t come from Sora. Both of them shifted, turning a little as Riku yawned, burrowing his face further into Sora’s back. “Sorry, Riku,” Kairi mumbled, sheepish, and Sora echoed with his own apology, before Riku waved them off loosely.

   “S’fine. But you _did_ bring it up, Kairi.”

   “I didn’t want to lose you,” she answered, her voice soft, before she could catch herself. Riku pushed himself up a little to look over Sora at her, blinking sleepily, and she continued, “I mean…after everything that had happened…I didn’t want something to come between any of us again. And I thought...” She shook her head. It had sounded much better, before she voiced it aloud.

   Riku’s eyes softened as he looked at her, and he shifted closer to Sora so he could reach out to touch her cheek. “Well, it worked out in the end, right?”

   Kairi smiled, closing her eyes briefly. “Yeah. It did.” She nudged Sora gently, adding, “Right?”

   He didn’t answer, and when they both looked down at him Riku snorted lightly. “He’s out again.” He prodded Sora’s cheek, getting a little grumble in response, and shook his head slightly. Riku pressed a soft kiss to Sora’s cheek where he’d poked him, then reached up to pull Kairi forward so he could place an equally gentle kiss on her lips.

   “Go to sleep,” he murmured, before returning to his spot next to Sora, snuggled into his back. Kairi smiled, brushing her lips across Sora’s temple briefly before she cuddled up to his front, slipping an arm around his waist. Her hand brushed against Riku’s skin and she squeezed his arm gently.

   She supposed what could have happened didn’t really matter, anyway. _This_ was where they were now, and that was the important thing.


End file.
